1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for making electrical harness of the type including the connector having a housing with insulation displacement type contacts loaded therein, each contact connected to an insulation clad wire.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The invention described and claimed herein is an improvement over the method and apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,015 entitled "Electrical Harness Fabrication Method and Apparatus", dated Nov. 25, 1980 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The method and apparatus disclosed in said prior patent performs the following functions:
positioning a connector at a first station;
holding at least a number of wires corresponding to the number of contacts at a second station remote from said first station;
moving the said connector to said second station so that each contact is in alignment with each held wire;
simultaneously inserting each wire into its corresponding contact at the second station;
moving said connector back to said first station and simultaneously drawing a predetermined length of wire defined between said connector and said second station;
holding each wire at a second station at the end of the desired length;
cutting all held wires at the second station;
cutting the insulation of a predetermined segment on each end of the desired length at the second station; and
imparting a force upon said cut lengths of wire to pull said wire lengths from the second station and strip the cut insulation segment from each end thereof.
The machine for performing the method set forth above comprises:
a first station whereat a connector is initially position;
a second station remote from said first station;
holding means mounted at said second station for selectively gripping said wires;
insertion means mounted at the second station for simultaneously displacing each wire into its corresponding contact;
a connector carrier for mounting the connector thereon in a given disposition removable between said first station and said second station in alignment with said wires;
holding means mounted at said second station for selectively gripping said wires;
wire cutting means mountd at the second station for cutting the wires to the same length;
wire pulling means for imparting a force upon said cut lengths of wire for pulling said wire lengths from the second station and strip the cut insulation segment from each end thereof;
control means for sequentially actuating said insertion means, holding means, wire cutting means, connector carrier and wire pulling means in a given order, said control means moving said connector carrier from said first station to said second station, actuating said insertion means so that said wires are displaced in its corresponding contact, releasing said wire holding means, moving said connector carrier back to said first station drawing wire therewith, actuating said wire holding means, actuating the wire cutting means and the wire pulling means to form a completed electrical harness.
In the above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,015, a looping assembly which forms loops of differing magnitudes in the wire lengths imparts an axial force upon the cut lengths of wire. In this manner, an electrical harness having different wire lengths can be effected.
Although a looping assembly can be used to produce an electrical harness having the same wire lengths, it can be appreciated that the size of such an assembly would be expensive to make and cumbersome to use for such a limited purpose.